BBC Gaza Film Narrated By Child Of Hamas Minister A Matter Of “Deep Concern” For UK Government

UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has told the BBC she has “deep concern” about the broadcaster airing a documentary narrated by the child of a Hamas minister.

In a statement, the Labour minister said it is important that a BBC investigation into Gaza: How To Survive a Warzone “sheds light on what happened and who knew what when.”

The film, produced by independent production company HOYO Films, was removed from iPlayer last week amid growing concerns that other contributors had links to Hamas, which is proscribed as a terror group by the UK government.

The BBC initially defended the documentary, but shortly after apologized for failing to disclose that 14-year-old Abdullah Al-Yazouri, the film’s English-speaking narrator, was the son of Ayman Al-Yazouri, the deputy minister of agriculture in Gaza’s Hamas-run government.

Nandy said: “It is essential that the BBC maintains the highest standards of reporting and governance that the public rightly expects. In my discussion with the BBC Director General [Tim Davie], I expressed my deep concern about the issues around their recent documentary on Gaza and I pressed for answers on the checks and due diligence that the BBC carried out.

“It is paramount that the investigation the BBC is conducting sheds light on what happened and who knew what when. I expect to be kept informed of the outcome of their investigation.”

The BBC has unambiguously blamed the producer for the error, saying that HOYO Films failed to inform executives about Al-Yazouri’s father. Two sources told Deadline that it is likely that How To Survive a Warzone’s producer/directors Yousef Hammash and Jamie Roberts were aware of Al-Yazouri’s Hamas connections. Hammash and Roberts have not responded to requests for comment.

One person familiar with the How To Survive a Warzone production process was skeptical that HOYO had not mentioned the Hamas links to BBC commissioning editors Gian Quaglieni and Sarah Waldron. A second person added that for the BBC to blame the producer, “there must be no paperwork tying them to the knowledge” of Al-Yazouri’s background. Others think it is possible that the Hamas connections were missed because of the complications around foreign journalists not being able to access Gaza.

Jewish TV executives have called for an independent investigation, though it is not clear if the BBC will acquiesce to this demand.